If you are one of the more than 25 million Americans who suffer from chronic sinus congestion, using nasal irrigation will improve your symptoms, says a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Sinus infections, or chronic rhinosinusitis, can cause headache, facial pain, congestion, fatigue and other symptoms that interfere with a person's quality of life. Although antibiotics are commonly prescribed, they are often not effective and contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Nasal irrigation, which uses a squeeze bottle, bulb syringe, or neti pot, flushes out clogged sinus passages using saltwater.

British researchers at the University of Southampton conducted a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of using nasal irrigation and/or steam inhalation for chronic sinusitis.

The study involved 871 patients from 72 primary care practices in England who were randomly assigned to one of four advice strategies: usual care, daily nasal and saline irrigation supported by a demonstration video, daily steam inhalation, or combined treatment with both interventions.

Patients who used nasal irrigation showed improvement at three and six months, as measured by the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index. Steam inhalation did not appear to alleviate symptoms of sinusitis.

The nasal irrigation group had a significant reduction in headaches and the use of over-the-counter medications. Inhaling steam had little or no effect on clearing stuffy sinuses, and could even cause burns.